Norway: Date set for Amy Winehouse drug appeal

British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse has been summoned to appear in a Norwegian court on Jan. 12 in her appeal against a fine in a drugs possession case, a police prosecutor said Wednesday.

Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were arrested in the western city of Bergen in October 2007 during a concert stop on charges of possessing 7 grams (1/4-ounce) of marijuana. They were held overnight and released after paying fines of 3,000 kroner ($415) each.

The 25-year-old Winehouse later appealed the fine, claiming Norwegian police made mistakes in the case. An initial trial date in March 2008 was postponed at the request of her attorney.

Police prosecutor Rudolf Christoffersen says the star and her husband had been informed of the date by British police and will probably have to appear in person in the Bergen appeals court.

“She is the one who appealed, so that makes it her appeal,” Christoffersen told The Associated Press by telephone. “Often, if you don’t appear at your own appeal hearing, then the court will dismiss the appeal.”

Winehouse’s Norwegian attorney, Ole Kvelstad, has said that payment of the fine amounted to a guilty plea, which he said could have serious consequences if she sought to enter the United States. Winehouse was denied a U.S. visa this year when she wanted to perform at the Grammy awards ceremony.

Winehouse won five Grammy Awards in early 2008, including best record (“Rehab”), best song (“Rehab”) and best new artist.

Winehouse has had problems with drug use, run-ins with the law and a dramatic marriage. Concerns about her health grew as the singer checked in and out of a London hospital, most recently for an allergic reaction to prescribed medication. (AP)